The Protector

by Jodi Ellen Malpas

  She drops her eyes from the rafters and gives me a disdainful glare. “It’s not what I expected; that’s all.”

  “A bit like you didn’t expect me?” I waggle an eyebrow, loving the sight of her trying to stop her button nose from wrinkling.

  “Exactly like that,” she admits, making her way to me. “Why have you brought me here?”

  “Because I think Daddy might try to have us followed.”

  “By Pete and Grant?”

  “Yes.” I usher her into the elevator and make a racket as I yank the rusty iron bars across, slamming them into position. “Not exactly inconspicuous, are they?”

  “Neither are you.” She laughs, waving a finger up and down my tall frame.

  I give her a cheeky wink and wrap my arm around her shoulders as we rise to the factory floor, hauling her in, relishing the feel of her close to me. “The point of my job is to be a presence, Camille. A visible warning.”

  “I didn’t get that warning.”

  Her phone rings, and she looks down at it, as do I. Her father. She rejects the call and turns it off, doing what I would have done had she not beaten me to it. Then she snuggles happily into my side and hums her contentment as the lift jolts, declaring our arrival to my apartment. She grumbles when I release her to drag the doors open, but the grumble soon transforms into gasps of awe as my living space comes into view.

  “More like it?” I ask, hanging back as she takes tentative steps forward, gazing around.

  “Wow.” She swings around to face me, eyes full of shock. “Just…wow.”

  I smile and take her shoulders, walking her back, all the way across the vast space until she’s in my bedroom. The urge to throw her on my bed and rip her clothes off is nearly too strong to resist, but I have a few things to do. So I force myself to push her on, grinning down at her, finding that telltale lust building in her gorgeous eyes.

  The panorama of the city comes into sight, and I know she catches the beautiful view, but she refuses to drop her eyes from mine. It’s a massive compliment. That view is fucking immense.

  “Take a shower,” I order, reaching to the back of her head and pulling her hair tie free, leaving her locks tumbling across her shoulders. The urge gets the better of me. My face drops to the masses of blonde at her neck and I inhale, giving myself a hint of what I’ve got to look forward to once I’ve seen to business.

  “On my own?” she asks, bringing her hands to my shoulders and digging her nails in. I groan, blood rushing to my cock.

  “Be waiting in my bed in ten minutes,” I demand, ripping myself away. “The towels are on the shelf.” I back away and she pouts, her big eyes full of disappointment. “Ten minutes,” I reiterate, turning and walking away from her. It’s a challenge, but I won’t relax and enjoy her until I’ve cleared a few things up.

  Striding through to my living space, I yank my tie from my neck and shrug my jacket off, throwing them on the couch as I pass. I drop into my chair and pull my phone from my pocket, dialing Lucinda as I unfasten my top button.

  “I was just going to call you,” she greets me.

  “Why?”

  “We hacked Logan’s e-mail.”

  “We had his e-mails,” I point out, frowning down the line. “He gave us access.”

  “Not to this one. He chose not to give us this one. Any clues why?”

  “I fucking knew it.” My lip curls. “He is hiding something.”

  “Yes. He received an e-mail two days ago. Unknown IP address and account untraceable. The e-mail was deleted from the server, but I can tell you that it had an attachment.”

  I sit up a little in my chair. “What was attached?”

  “I can’t confirm that, but the untraceable IP address is ringing alarm bells, as well as the swift deletion from the server. Logan called and confirmed your contract is terminated. I pointed out the photos that arrived by Royal Mail and the ones you found on Camille’s car earlier. He said his personal security team is closing in on the source of the threats. I don’t believe him.”

  “Neither do I.” I take a deep breath and recline in my chair, the side of my finger brushing across the stubble of my chin. “The threat’s not gone, but he wants me gone?” I muse, hearing Lucinda hum down the line.

  “Seems so. Now why would that be, Jake?”

  “No idea.” I cut off her intended line of conversation in its tracks. “Anything on the current wife?”

  “Why are you asking me to look into his wife?”

  “She’s shifty. I don’t like her.”

  “You think everyone is shifty!” She laughs. “But why you think his wife would threaten to harm her stepdaughter is beyond me.”

  “Just tell me what you have,” I groan, my frustration building. All these dead ends we keep hitting. There has to be something somewhere that tells me something!

  “I have a name for the guy you sent me a picture of. Simon Sanders. He’s Logan’s lawyer. His divorce lawyer.”

  “Logan’s wife is having an affair with his divorce lawyer?” I ask, stunned. You couldn’t write this shit.

  “Yep. And by the looks of it, it’s been going on for months. E-mails flying between them at a rapid rate. I won’t make you blush and read them to you.”

  I laugh, amused. “Keep looking. I’ll call you in the morning.”

  I hang up and dial another number. Logan answers swiftly, despite the fact that he’s still undoubtedly entertaining guests at his cheating wife’s birthday garden party. He must have been expecting my call. “Your security guys were quite keen to catch up with me when we left earlier.” I cut straight to the chase.

  “Yes, I wanted a private word with you, but you seemed in a bit of a hurry.” There’s an undercurrent of mistrust in his tone, telling me we’re on the same page.

  “You pay me to protect your daughter. I didn’t like the intent on their faces.”

  “Their intent was to ask you to return for a few moments, so we could have a private conversation. Camille is in no danger from my security team.”

  Team? His security is a fucking joke. There could be an army of the fat fuckers. One man with half a brain could outwit them. “Everyone is a danger,” I growl. “What did you want to talk about?”

  “Your services are no longer required.”

  He says what I knew he would, but rather than hit him with what I know, namely an e-mail account that he has chosen not to share with us, I take a different angle. There’s a reason why he’s keeping that to himself, and I plan on getting to the bottom of it. “So I hear. May I ask why?”

  “We’re dealing with it,” he says matter-of-factly, making my skin tingle with anger. The lying bastard. “As I expected, just rivals with a beef. All mouth, no trousers.”

  “Names?”

  “Probably best I deal with it.”

  “Are you willing to risk Cami’s safety based on probably?” I pray he says no, or so help me God, I’ll run back to that fancy fucking mansion of his and gun him down.

  “‘Cami’?” He misses everything and homes in on my one mistake.

  Shit!

  “Since when have you earned the privilege of calling my daughter by a nickname?”

  His tone says it all. His impression of me, his disapproval. Bring it on, Logan.

  I’m aware I’m talking to her father, but everything I know isn’t making me want to shower him with respect. “Since she asked me to.” I grind the words out. “As long as my subjects’ requests don’t put their life in danger, I’m all for accommodation, Mr. Logan.” I can’t fucking help myself, letting him read between the lines. “I don’t think a simple wish for me to call her by her shortened name is a risk to her life, do you?” I want to add that her name sounds even better when it’s falling from my mouth on a moan of pleasure. When I’m driving my cock into her, firm and deep. I want to. But I don’t. Because that would be vindictive and serve no purpose other than confirming what he thinks he knows.

  I realize the importance of knocking h
im off the scent. It’s hard when I’m seething on the inside, knowing that he’s not being honest about his daughter’s protection. I need to rein myself in. He’s willing to put Cami at risk in an attempt to keep me away from her? I fear that’s the crux of it. Does he realize who he is dealing with? I’m no pathetic prep boy with a drug habit. Nor will I be paid off, not for all the money in the world. For the first time in his life, I’m going to make Trevor Logan feel weak and powerless. And I’m going to fucking enjoy it.

  “Whatever my daughter wants,” he mumbles quietly, making my lip curl.

  “Whatever Camille wants,” I reply. “I’ll relieve myself of duty when I have concrete evidence that Cami’s no longer at risk. I have a clean sheet, Logan. It’s why you hired me, remember?” I hang up, resisting adding on the end that I’m about to go and give his daughter what she really wants.

  Me.

  I’ve also resisted advising the pompous arsehole that his wife is getting what she wants from his divorce lawyer. Information is pouring in now, but it takes me a nanosecond to decide it’d be safer not to tell Cami what I’ve learned, and while it goes against my instinct, I’m not going to beat myself up with guilt. Logan’s bribe of Cami’s ex, his wife’s infidelity, the secret e-mail account—it’s all ammo I can use in a war that I don’t plan on losing.

  Chucking my phone onto my desk, I kick my feet up and rest my head on the back of my chair. For the first time today, I feel relaxed, despite all of the revelations. Because she’s here. With me. It’s been a long, draining day. I can think of a wonderful way to end it on a high.

  I stand and walk over to my drinks cabinet, catching a whiff of the long-lost scent of Jack on my way. I haven’t had a drink in weeks, and I would never usually while on the job. But my job isn’t usually within the safe confines of my apartment. I grab a glass, pour a healthy dose, and bring it to my lips, inhaling. Oh, that smells good. I knock it back and slam the glass down, letting the burn of the liquor heat me through on its way to my stomach.

  Then I start unbuttoning my shirt as I prowl toward my bathroom, hearing the sound of water pouring over her naked body. I shrug off my shirt and let it fall from my hands before starting on the fly of my trousers, stopping at my bedroom door to push them from my legs and remove my shoes. Once I’m naked, I pad on bare feet toward the bathroom, the rush of water sounding louder until I’m on the edge of the steam-ridden room. I walk quietly to the shower, searching through the fog, until I’m a foot away from the glass door.

  Her back is to me, her willowy body drenched and calling. I’m certain I could just stand here all night and watch her quietly as she runs her hands all over her skin, her head dropped back, accepting the water beating down on her face. Her blond hair is sopping and stuck to her back, skimming her gorgeous, pert arse, and her hands come up, bracing on the tiles before her. My erection lunges, desperate for me to take her.

  I open the door and watch as her shoulders jump a little. She knows I’m here. My lips part, and I psych myself up for the pleasure I’m about to take. I scan her back as she removes her hands from the wall, her delicate chin coming to her shoulder, giving me her profile. She doesn’t give me her eyes, though. She doesn’t need to. Her body is singing to me, calling me to take her as much as my dripping cock is.

  Her fragility should render me petrified of touching her. But I can’t break her. She’s too strong, and when we connect, I feel that strength growing for reasons I can’t fathom. She feeds off me as much as I feed off her. She wants me. Maybe a little naively, but I’ve forbidden myself to question my motives for holding back on information that might change her mind. Here and now, there’s a very real danger in the form of her corrupt father, and protecting Cami from him is my priority. It’s not only my paid duty to protect this woman. It’s my life’s mission.

  I reach forward and take her hair, gently gathering it into my fist and moving it to the side so I can see the full length of her perfect spine. She keeps her profile in my view, her mouth falling open as she takes what I’ve gathered and pulls it down her front, helping me. My fingertips drift through the air and come to rest at the base of her neck, the light pressure causing her to push her breasts forward, bowing her back.

  The animal in me shouts for me to slam her into the wall and take what she’s willing to give, but the growing softness of my heart forbids it. Every woman I’ve had in this apartment has been fucked. Hard, fast, and with no consideration for their pleasure. Cami isn’t going to be one of those faceless women.

  Lightly and slowly, knowing what it will do to her, I draw a perfect straight line down her back, licking my lips as I go, hearing the increased rate of her breathing. It’s like a drug. An addictive drug. The tip of one finger reaches the tiny indentation at the top of her arse and circles, before I spread my palm and cup a cheek possessively. She jerks and slams her hands back into the wall, a small cry permeating the air.

  I move in, unable to keep my distance any longer, my wet chest merging with her back. Her soft skin slips teasingly against mine as my hardness wedges itself into her lower back, forcing us closer, making me relinquish my hold of her arse. It’s no great loss when we’re touching everywhere. The flesh of her neck glistens up at me, and I dip down, licking across it, my palms finding her breasts and blanketing them.

  “What would you like me to do to you, Camille?” I murmur against her skin, forcing her forward into the wall until she’s trapped under my body.

  She cranes her neck, nuzzling into my face until she finds my lips. The force of her kiss is mind-blanking. “Do what you want. Take what you want.” Her tongue rolls over the words perfectly, pushing them deep down into my chest. I feel them sear my heart and bring another small part of me back to life.

  My rapacious growl rumbles from the pit of my stomach and erupts, echoing through the confines of my shower. I spin her to face me and reach behind her thighs, yanking her up my body and slamming her back into the wall. She gasps and squirms, wriggling against the tiles as she grapples at my shoulders. The slippery movements do nothing more than increase my hunger for her, and I’m thinking she knows that. If I were in a teasing mood, I’d prolong the whole episode, make her beg, just to get a thrill out of knowing how much she wants me. But my own desperation to rid today of the trials we’ve faced is too powerful for me to hold back. I jack her up, level myself, and let her sink onto my cock.

  The sensation of her wet pussy surrounding me does exactly what I knew it would. My mind is wiped of everything except Cami. She is all I see, all I feel. She belongs to me, every piece of her spirit, her body, and her heart. I’ll cherish it all with everything I have. Let it be known, as God is my witness, I’ll tear apart anyone who tries to take her away from me, be it her ex-boyfriend, her father, or an unknown threat. Blood will be shed, and I will show no remorse for the carnage I create along the way.

  Amen.

  I withdraw, savoring every second, and then slowly and precisely drive back into her, pushing her up the wall on a disjointed cry. I have every intention of extending our pleasure long into the night, until she’s physically exhausted and I can carry her to my bed and lay her down. Knowing she wants that, too, is making it all very easy to take my time with her. I find her swollen lips and kiss her gently, rolling my tongue slowly, exploring her mouth deliberately. Her moans feed my purpose, her hands skating my shoulders, working their way to my neck and holding on as she returns my kiss with equal passion and intent. My hips are rolling, grinding, searching for the innermost part of her, and with each plunge, it becomes more difficult to resist release. With each retreat, my cock pulses harder. Holding onto my control is easy when I see that she’s as lost in the moment as I am.

  I’m not ready for this to end yet.

  I surprise myself when I pull free of her on another retreat, my hips trembling, telling me to find her warmth again. Yet I don’t. Instead, I push her legs down and let her find her feet, steadying her, before I crouch and look up at her, kissing the ins
ide of her thigh.

  “Oh God!” She grabs my hair and tugs, wrestling with me as I work my mouth up to her core. Her entrance is wide open, exposed and swollen.

  “Hmmm.” I lick a firm stroke up her center, nibbling on her twitching clit as I pass. Shit, she tastes divine.

  “Jake!” She starts to shake before me, vibrating against the tiles.

  I could make her come in a second if I keep my mouth here, yet knowing how much satisfaction I’ll win by doing that isn’t enough. So I continue the hard lash of my tongue, up to her stomach, her torso, and onto her breasts, the sweet tips like dark pebbles, each vying for my attention. I indulge them both, dividing my time, the water pounding my back as Cami continues to tug my hair.

  “You want me back inside, angel?” I ask, lightly biting down on one erect nub, dragging it through my teeth until it pops free. “Tell me, Cami. Tell me where you want me.”

  Her head drops and she pants, desperation rampant on her gorgeous, fresh face. “I want this.” She reaches down and grabs my cock. I gasp. “I want this inside me.”

  I have no clue how the fuck she manages it, but she pushes me to my arse. Then she’s on my lap, pressing into my shoulders a second later, forcing me to my back. I follow her lead, smiling like crazy on the inside, and lay down on the shower floor, immune to the hardness beneath me. She lifts on her knees and watches me as she reaches between her legs and reclaims my dick.

  Fuck me, she’s going to ride me, and while that strips some of my control, I’m more than happy with my new view. My arms come up over my head as she takes her sweet time guiding me to her, her mouth lax, her eyes hooded. This right here has just taken first position in my most favorite views of all time. Her breasts, her face, and if I look down, my cock entering her, are all within sight. Holy shit, I’m in heaven.

  She sinks down, forcing sharp breaths from me and a need to resist throwing my hips up and slamming into her. Let her have her way. Let her possess my body like she does my mind.

  “Oh fuck!” I look down and see myself half-submerged, tinkering on the edge of full penetration. She’s not without a powerful